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Cleveland CG Black Driver Forum Testing Review Thread

SuperStroke
Just finished my first 18 holes with the 10.5 degree CG Black driver (regular shaft). I think this club will be a game changer for me.
--Hit 10 of 14 fairways. Of the four misses, 3 were fast looping hooks -- I overswung on each. The last was a high draw, too far left.
--The 10 fairways hits were all straight to slight draws, high trajectory. Four of them left me feeling I could not hit it any better. Each impact feels solid, I could feel the clubface catch up to the ball when I kept my tempo smooth. I found myself smiling quite a bit after hitting my drives (apologies to the TM commercial with the background music "Who do you love?").
--Driving set me up for a solid 83 (Par 72). Cannot wait for next weekend!
 
Good to hear Tucson!
 
tucsondivots said:
Just finished my first 18 holes with the 10.5 degree CG Black driver (regular shaft). I think this club will be a game changer for me.
--Hit 10 of 14 fairways. Of the four misses, 3 were fast looping hooks -- I overswung on each. The last was a high draw, too far left.
--The 10 fairways hits were all straight to slight draws, high trajectory. Four of them left me feeling I could not hit it any better. Each impact feels solid, I could feel the clubface catch up to the ball when I kept my tempo smooth. I found myself smiling quite a bit after hitting my drives (apologies to the TM commercial with the background music "Who do you love?").
--Driving set me up for a solid 83 (Par 72). Cannot wait for next weekend!
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Solid initial outing td, I really expect this write up to read pretty much as you have written it. When this driver fits the player there are a lot of "oh wow" moments for sure. Keep us posted buddy.
 
Test Date: 2/12/12
Testing Club: Cleveland Black Driver 10.5* with C Kua 39S shaft
My Prior Club: Taylormade Tour Burner 10.5*, stiff flex
Ball Used: 2012 Bridgestone B330-RX
Environment: Mostly Sunny, 39*, 5-10 mph winds, Right ankle in brace

Played 9 holes this afternoon, and the CG was working well. I hit 7/7 fairways today, with drives of 220,245, 270, 253, 232, 200 uphill into th wind, and 225 on the ninth. Here are pics of hole 5 on my course, which is the no. 1 hdcp at 430 yds, with a slight dogleg to the right:

6866237645_5db28b5c93.jpg


Even with a good tee shot, you still have a decent shot into the green:

6866238265_3b2b74c4c2.jpg


The CG has definitley given me confidence off the tee, and it helps on holes like this.

Here is my drive on 9 that ended up at 225 yds. Some holes were rolling from the temps, and others were just stopping, but I was hitting fairways so it was all good.

 
Chewie, I am really liking the sound our CGs make as well. Good numbers, man.
 
Thanks tucson. Yeah, when this club it hit in the middle there is no sound like it.
 
chewie69 said:
Thanks tucson. Yeah, when this club it hit in the middle there is no sound like it.
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You and Dawg are gonna make me get one of these aren't ya :bulgy-eyes:? haha good stuff buddy!
 
Gray, with the CG driver and getting the RBZ irons dialed in you would be a 5 or 6 hdcp in no time.
 
chewie69 said:
Gray, with the CG driver and getting the RBZ irons dialed in you would be a 5 or 6 hdcp in no time.
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Thanks buddy. If I hit the ball like you do I would already be a low capper:thumb:
 
Great day chewie, 7/7 is awesome and the yardages are pretty stout too in 39* weather. Nice going buddy.
 
I hit the range on Saturday - thankfully between early morning rain showers - and had an interesting session. With the temp in the high 40's/low 50's at starting, I had a nice warm up with short irons and finding a nice groove hitting various targets all over the range. Step up to my 4h and 3w and the session is going pretty well. I'm about halfway through a 150 bucket before I switch to the CG Black.

While I still suffer from regular inconsistencies, my swing is starting to come around and between the Boccieri Heavy Wood and this amazing Cleveland CG Black driver I've found a confidence I can make good contact off the tee unlike any other time in my golfing career. I know it will be a few months, but I feel like I can make a run at lowering my handicap. Definitely going to start taking some lessons for this.

Anyways, I spend the last half of that bucket trying different stances and variations on my current grip. It was an interesting experience. First, I must commend on how forgiving the CG Black is. I know we've all recognized it, but this club really does let you get away with some horrendous stuff an still leave you in the fairway.

I was the next-to-the-last stall on the right side of the range, so anything besides a baby fade hit the net. As per usual, I got into a great groove hitting a good 10-15 within a reasonably small area. However, as soon as I changed my grip or setup, depending on the severity, mishits generally went where I wanted them to. Short, but in the short grass. And let me tell you, I was all over the place, heel, toe, high, low - the face of the club looked like a jackson pollock but with dimple marks! I hit a couple decent draws but I was near the end of the bucket before I was able to hit more than two in a row. All in all, I'm going to just focus on my regular swing and take my straight-to-baby-fade result every time.

I know a couple of you have tried shaping shots, hitting high or low - curious, what are your thoughts on this club and manipulating the ball flight now that many of you are on your third or fourth month with the CG Black?
 
d_in_la said:
I know a couple of you have tried shaping shots, hitting high or low - curious, what are your thoughts on this club and manipulating the ball flight now that many of you are on your third or fourth month with the CG Black?
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I've struggled a bit with working this driver D. I am one of the stupid golfers that does not just try and hit the ball straight. I like to try and work the ball as the shot requires. I'm not feeling a big level of confidence with the Black in terms of accuracy and this affects my ability to work the ball. Well that and my swing.
 
Got out to hit the Black both days this past weekend. Saturday was pretty cold but not unbearable so headed to the range. As I’ve said, I’ve been working on my swing a little bit and more specifically I’m working on a setup that has me bending more at the waist instead of in the knees. The results have been mixed so far but not with the driver.

Another day and another day of really hitting this driver well. Warmed up with some wedges and some irons. Not really hitting the ball crisply. Some duck hooks with the long irons and weird swipe rights with the short irons. Grab the Black and tried to release the hounds. Whatever it is about the new stance it is really working with this club. First shot with the Black was a little low but straight and long. Took about 20 shots before my hands were just too cold. 15 of those shots were keepers with 12 being in the fairway. Trajectory was usually high with a bit of a draw. With this stance I’ve found maybe more balance. I just get to the top of the backswing and let loose. At least this is how it feels. Perhaps what I’m feeling is not what is actually happening. Not sure why the shaft would hold up better just because of a change in my setup. That leads to Sunday

Sunday was brutally cold. Not fit for man nor Chunky. I decide to head to the local Golf Galaxy and hit some new clubs. The place was dead which meant fun time in the sim. I grabbed a few drivers that I saw plus the Black and went into the cave. Warmed up with the I20 7I and was hitting the ball OK. I have issues with hitting balls indoors and this sim was very dark. But I was making decent contact. Moved on to the Nike VRS driver. Lots of raves about this bad boy

First swing was a shocker to me. Felt like I just hit a golf ball with an aluminum bat and the sound was piercing. Just hated this driver. Looked up and the distance was pretty good though. Hit 10 shots with this driver and my average was in the mid 230’s. The sound was something I could not get over. Plus the sim was very enclosed which magnified it. No bueno.

Moved on to the sexy new Ping I20 driver. I’m a homer for Ping but this club is unreal looking. Took 10 swings and the results were as good as the looks. Distance was mid to high 230’s. Dispersion was far better than the Nike. Feel of this driver is off the charts good. This driver is a keeper

Last but not least was the Black. I was a little worried that the weight of the previous drivers would mess with my swing because of the lightness of the Cleveland. I shouldn’t have. First swing was a solid shot and this continued for 10 swings. I was not getting the sensation today of killing it like I was at the range but I was getting good distance. Consistent mid 240’s with one hook going 270(and into water). Dispersion was not as good as the Ping but better than the Nike. The feel of the Black continues to be my favorite thing about this driver. When you nail one you get a feeling of crushing a ball that not many drivers can deliver.

After the results today I think it would be a good battle between the Black and the Ping for a spot. I think the weight of the Ping gives me better dispersion numbers and the lightness of the Black gives me some more distance. At this point not sure how much I value distance over accuracy. I’m not saying that the Black can’t be accurate because it can. Just that I’ve hit other drivers that I’m more accurate but a little shorter. Will be an interesting battle
 
Nice comparison there Chunky. I really like the look of the I20 too.

It's sometimes good to pick up a couple of different clubs just to get your mind right with the club you're using. I found that during my testing too, that I could get kind of bogged down with one thought and needed to step back a bit to get the objectivity again. Sounds like your new setup is definitely working for you too.
 
Thanks for the write ups d_i_l and Chunky, loving reading folks thoughts on this bad boy, I find it interesting that everyone really likes the feel of sollid impact with this driver as much as any they have ever hit.
 
Just an update on my round today. I am not an official tester of the Cleveland Black but in my round today I was 11/13 on the holes that I used the driver. The two misses were both to the left and no more than 10 feet from the fairway. The drives averaged about 230/235 even in 43* weather. My only really mishit drive still was 195 and straight down the middle, my longest was 260 and again straight down the middle. This driver has really been a game changer for me and I recommend that anyone with a slower swing speed (my SS is 92-95) give this bomber a try.
 
Great info guys!
 
DawgDaddy said:
Just an update on my round today. I am not an official tester of the Cleveland Black but in my round today I was 11/13 on the holes that I used the driver. The two misses were both to the left and no more than 10 feet from the fairway. The drives averaged about 230/235 even in 43* weather. My only really mishit drive still was 195 and straight down the middle, my longest was 260 and again straight down the middle. This driver has really been a game changer for me and I recommend that anyone with a slower swing speed (my SS is 92-95) give this bomber a try.
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Great to hear. I cannot wait for rounds 2 and 3 with mine this Sat and Sun!
 
Question for the testers; When the time comes to move on to another driver, will the lighter drivers be high on the list to try out? I know personally, I have really taken to the light drivers as of late, and my ears always perk up when I hear "lighter" when talking about a new driver.
 
Chunkylover77 said:
Got out to hit the Black both days this past weekend. Saturday was pretty cold but not unbearable so headed to the range. As I’ve said, I’ve been working on my swing a little bit and more specifically I’m working on a setup that has me bending more at the waist instead of in the knees. The results have been mixed so far but not with the driver.

Another day and another day of really hitting this driver well. Warmed up with some wedges and some irons. Not really hitting the ball crisply. Some duck hooks with the long irons and weird swipe rights with the short irons. Grab the Black and tried to release the hounds. Whatever it is about the new stance it is really working with this club. First shot with the Black was a little low but straight and long. Took about 20 shots before my hands were just too cold. 15 of those shots were keepers with 12 being in the fairway. Trajectory was usually high with a bit of a draw. With this stance I’ve found maybe more balance. I just get to the top of the backswing and let loose. At least this is how it feels. Perhaps what I’m feeling is not what is actually happening. Not sure why the shaft would hold up better just because of a change in my setup. That leads to Sunday

Sunday was brutally cold. Not fit for man nor Chunky. I decide to head to the local Golf Galaxy and hit some new clubs. The place was dead which meant fun time in the sim. I grabbed a few drivers that I saw plus the Black and went into the cave. Warmed up with the I20 7I and was hitting the ball OK. I have issues with hitting balls indoors and this sim was very dark. But I was making decent contact. Moved on to the Nike VRS driver. Lots of raves about this bad boy

First swing was a shocker to me. Felt like I just hit a golf ball with an aluminum bat and the sound was piercing. Just hated this driver. Looked up and the distance was pretty good though. Hit 10 shots with this driver and my average was in the mid 230’s. The sound was something I could not get over. Plus the sim was very enclosed which magnified it. No bueno.

Moved on to the sexy new Ping I20 driver. I’m a homer for Ping but this club is unreal looking. Took 10 swings and the results were as good as the looks. Distance was mid to high 230’s. Dispersion was far better than the Nike. Feel of this driver is off the charts good. This driver is a keeper

Last but not least was the Black. I was a little worried that the weight of the previous drivers would mess with my swing because of the lightness of the Cleveland. I shouldn’t have. First swing was a solid shot and this continued for 10 swings. I was not getting the sensation today of killing it like I was at the range but I was getting good distance. Consistent mid 240’s with one hook going 270(and into water). Dispersion was not as good as the Ping but better than the Nike. The feel of the Black continues to be my favorite thing about this driver. When you nail one you get a feeling of crushing a ball that not many drivers can deliver.

After the results today I think it would be a good battle between the Black and the Ping for a spot. I think the weight of the Ping gives me better dispersion numbers and the lightness of the Black gives me some more distance. At this point not sure how much I value distance over accuracy. I’m not saying that the Black can’t be accurate because it can. Just that I’ve hit other drivers that I’m more accurate but a little shorter. Will be an interesting battle
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What is your driver SS? Is the CG Black a non-fit for someone with a higher SS, (+100)?
 
Oregon Golfer said:
What is your driver SS? Is the CG Black a non-fit for someone with a higher SS, (+100)?
Click to expand...

I have played with chewie and SW and they both have 100+ SS, it would depend on how much higher IMO.
 
War Eagle said:
Question for the testers; When the time comes to move on to another driver, will the lighter drivers be high on the list to try out? I know personally, I have really taken to the light drivers as of late, and my ears always perk up when I hear "lighter" when talking about a new driver.
Click to expand...

I don't think I could go back to a "normal" weight driver right away. I like the feel of the lighter drivers and the added speed they generate. Often I'll switch when I'm on the range from the black to a z-star and it always takes several swings to get somewhat in sync. Crazy how one gets used to lighter weight so quickly.

--
tapatalk
 
SW said:
I don't think I could go back to a "normal" weight driver right away. I like the feel of the lighter drivers and the added speed they generate. Often I'll switch when I'm on the range from the black to a z-star and it always takes several swings to get somewhat in sync. Crazy how one gets used to lighter weight so quickly.

--
tapatalk
Click to expand...
I know exactly what you are saying about trying to get in to sync with a different weighted driver.

You think your swing speed has increased since moving to the Black?
 
Oregon Golfer said:
What is your driver SS? Is the CG Black a non-fit for someone with a higher SS, (+100)?
Click to expand...

I do not think swing speeds well north of 100 are well suited to this driver. Personally I top out at 106, but average closer to 100. A quick transition is more important in regards to the Black, an easy transition loads the shaft much better in my experience.

--
tapatalk
 
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